Thread for outland Buffalo applicants!

[ddobro2]

congrats, maple3

Yahhh! Got a new Status update today ... "In Process" as of Oct 13,2011. :-*

 

[ddobro2]

yes, eventually, but you may very well get to ppr before e-cas updates to "in process"

my ecas still says application received but inside it says medical results received. does it change to in process after this?

the answer, unfortunately, is "it varies"

and is there a estimate on how long from medical results received til ppr?

 

[kourts]

hmm how about the estimated shortest amount of time to the longest based on other people in this thread? lol

 

[ddobro2]

very hard to tell because "medicals received" à la e-CAS is not kept track of in the spreadsheet for everyone.

as far as the time between the in-process date and a PPR date, the average was about 62 days last time I calculated, with a large variation of 10 months at one end and 1 day at the other

hmm how about the estimated shortest amount of time to the longest based on other people in this thread? lol

 

[moochops]

just a quick question - I read that people log in with either their / their sponsors details on Ecas.

We are still showing application recieved for the pr part (recieved by Buffalo on 9th August) - and that is logging in using the client id and my husbands (the sponsors') details.

I've tried using this client id and my details but to no avail.

So am just wondering if we have to wait for AOR to get a file number, and will that then be under my name?

Sorry to sound long winded, and its probably not as if mine would say anything different to my hubbys - but you never know

 

[ddobro2]

if you enter:

the Client ID number as the identification type for the sponsor (which is found on the sponsorship approval letter), the last name of the sponsor, the date of birth of the sponsor, and the country of birth of the sponsor, you should get two columns under the "sponsorship application(s)" heading: "Sponsorship Application Status" and "Permanent Residence Application Status." I suspect those say, "Decision Made" and "Application Received," respectively, for your case. You can click on both of those statuses and get more detailed information.

if you then log out and enter all the above for yourself, the principal applicant, you would just get to see the "Permanent Residence Application Status" part only. So it's not really a big deal.

But if you want to log in as the PA, you would not be able to enter in *your* details, but his or her Client ID. The information needs to be consistent in that regard.

If you have any previous dealings with CIC, you already have a Client ID. If not, you can either just email Buffalo and see if they issue you an AOR (yes, it goes to the PA unlike the sponsorship approval) and get the Client ID that way. As far as the file number, from what I hear, CPCM has actually started including this on the sponsorship approvals. In my experience, the file number + PA's details gives the same info as Client ID + PA's details. Then there's that whole thing about e-CAS not being a big help anyway........

just a quick question - I read that people log in with either their / their sponsors details on Ecas.

We are still showing application recieved for the pr part (recieved by Buffalo on 9th August) - and that is logging in using the client id and my husbands (the sponsors') details.

I've tried using this client id and my details but to no avail.

So am just wondering if we have to wait for AOR to get a file number, and will that then be under my name?

Sorry to sound long winded, and its probably not as if mine would say anything different to my hubbys - but you never know

 

[francohoosier]

Woot! Got a whole bunch of neurotic e-cas updates all at 4:20 this morning, saying various things like, they deleted lines of information, meds received, forwarded application to MICC, received application, and last but not least... (drumroll please) .... a decision has been made!

Thanks for catching up with the game, e-cas! lol

 

[buffalo-toronto]

you can file married filing jointly even if your spouse doesnt have a vaild status in USA and doesnt have a SSN. The American partner will have to file for TIN-Tax identification number for the other spouse to replace the SSN. Married filing jointly is def. much better. I had the same problem and i found out that TIN is the way to go. Getting a TIN is pretty easy, search for the process on google or IRS website.

 

[ddobro2]

I hope it's easier than my experience with getting an "ITN" here in Canada has been. We filed in April and I still have not received it, nor have I gotten any confirmation of my tax return by the federal government, even though Quebec sent me said confirmation for my provincial return.

you can file married filing jointly even if your spouse doesnt have a vaild status in USA and doesnt have a SSN. The American partner will have to file for TIN-Tax identification number for the other spouse to replace the SSN. Married filing jointly is def. much better. I had the same problem and i found out that TIN is the way to go. Getting a TIN is pretty easy, search for the process on google or IRS website.

 

[QCSunshine]

I hope it's easier than my experience with getting an "ITN" here in Canada has been. We filed in April and I still have not received it, nor have I gotten any confirmation of my tax return by the federal government, even though Quebec sent me said confirmation for my provincial return.

I tried for about two months to get an ITN and was told I couldn't have one and I didn't need one. It took about 6 weeks to get word back (and I had asked in January, so off-season). I made a lot of phone calls to try to figure out what I was supposed to do, and was told to file with no ITN, no SIN, nothing, and then they would let me know if I needed a number after I filed. So I filed that way (adding copies of my passport and my spouse's SIN to help identify myself), then afterwards I got letters asking for my SIN. Sigh. But, by then, I actually had one, since I had just landed, but it took 4.5 months to get the confirmation of my tax return from Canada. It went through the international office and they wrote to say they didn't think I needed to file, and I wrote back to say that I did think I needed to file and explained why. Quebec also came MUCH more quickly for us too. Within a few weeks I think.

Hopefully next year will be smoother and quicker.

 

[QCSunshine]

you can file married filing jointly even if your spouse doesnt have a vaild status in USA and doesnt have a SSN. The American partner will have to file for TIN-Tax identification number for the other spouse to replace the SSN. Married filing jointly is def. much better. I had the same problem and i found out that TIN is the way to go. Getting a TIN is pretty easy, search for the process on google or IRS website.

Does this married filing jointly (and TIN) only work for and/or benefit couples living in the US? We live in Canada and my spouse has never worked or lived in the US. I have been doing married filing separately and listing him as "NRA" in the social security number blank because I read that was the way to do it online, according to Turbo Tax or somewhere. This past tax year I owed no taxes and paid no taxes, but next year will be different since I have started working in Canada this fall.

 

[TryingToGetHome]

Publication 54 says that even a non-resident spouse who has never lived or worked in the US or had any status in the US can be treated as a US resident for tax purposes. If you do that, you need an ITIN. Form W-7 is used to apply for an ITIN, you send in the form along with your completed tax return.

I'm on the phone with the IRS figuring out how to do my taxes MFJ and not be hit with double taxation on my husband's income in Canada. US taxes are a mess!

Does this married filing jointly (and TIN) only work for and/or benefit couples living in the US? We live in Canada and my spouse has never worked or lived in the US. I have been doing married filing separately and listing him as "NRA" in the social security number blank because I read that was the way to do it online, according to Turbo Tax or somewhere. This past tax year I owed no taxes and paid no taxes, but next year will be different since I have started working in Canada this fall.

 

[ddobro2]

So it's not just me having trouble with the federal authorities, eh?

My husband, being the budding accountant and all, did both of our seperate returns (that's 4 total), but for my federal statement, I enclosed a completed form T1261 "Application for a Canada Revenue Agency Individual Tax Number (ITN) for Non-Residents" and a copy of my passport, per the directions. In addition, I asked my husband to write, "my wife does not have a SIN because she's newly arrived in Canada but she is filling out a form for an ITN" or something to that effect on his return in a field that asked for his spouse's SIN (per instructions from an agent when I got the T1261 form in person).

But we kept getting letters from Revenue about submitting a number for me in order to calculate my husband's goods and services tax/harmonized sales tax credit, and at one point, despite the fact I kept explaining I applied for one but didn't have one, they started asking him to pay money back. After talking to several agents from Revenue, I finally talked to one who told me that people who submit tax returns in Canada for the first time may have to wait 4 months to have them processed, and thus, to receive a response from Canada Revenue (ok, well, that doesn't quite explain it because it's been more than 4 months.....). After the last letter I sent to them, they stopped mailing us stuff........so I have no idea what's going on. Sigh.

I tried for about two months to get an ITN and was told I couldn't have one and I didn't need one. It took about 6 weeks to get word back (and I had asked in January, so off-season). I made a lot of phone calls to try to figure out what I was supposed to do, and was told to file with no ITN, no SIN, nothing, and then they would let me know if I needed a number after I filed. So I filed that way (adding copies of my passport and my spouse's SIN to help identify myself), then afterwards I got letters asking for my SIN. Sigh. But, by then, I actually had one, since I had just landed, but it took 4.5 months to get the confirmation of my tax return from Canada. It went through the international office and they wrote to say they didn't think I needed to file, and I wrote back to say that I did think I needed to file and explained why. Quebec also came MUCH more quickly for us too. Within a few weeks I think.

Hopefully next year will be smoother and quicker.

 

[ddobro2]

Oh, this is interesting, but God, I think my brain will explode from the combination of immigration and taxation legal minutiae.

Publication 54 says that even a non-resident spouse who has never lived or worked in the US or had any status in the US can be treated as a US resident for tax purposes. If you do that, you need an ITIN. Form W-7 is used to apply for an ITIN, you send in the form along with your completed tax return.

I'm on the phone with the IRS figuring out how to do my taxes MFJ and not be hit with double taxation on my husband's income in Canada. US taxes are a mess!

 

[Calgary-Bound]

hmm how about the estimated shortest amount of time to the longest based on other people in this thread? lol

I got In Process and Medicals Recieved on Sep.7th and havent heard a peep yet.